Before we follow the lucky leprechauns to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, let’s briefly dive into the meaning behind St. Patrick’s Day. While he is often associated with Ireland, St. Patrick was actually from Roman Britain. At a young age, St. Patrick was captured and taken to Ireland to be enslaved. It was during this time that he turned to God. After a vision from God, St. Patrick was able to escape back home where he became a priest and then a bishop. He also wrote two surviving works, his “Confessio” and his “Letter to Coroticus.”
His association with Ireland usually comes from how St. Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the Word of God and further establish the Catholic Church there. Most famously, St. Patrick used a clover or shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Today, the shamrock is symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland.
The holiday is St. Patrick’s feast day and is celebrated in different ways, with some people keeping it simple with Mass, prayer, or other devotions to St. Patrick and others broadening the celebration to include Irish culture and festivities.
Whether you’ve tried to catch a leprechaun with a DIY trap from kindergarten or treated yourself to some chocolate coins, let’s now hear how some of our red-headed Royals and leprechaun lovers view the special day.
First, Sophomore Hailey Huerta got to celebrate with her friends at school. Her lovely friends gifted her a basket filled with green items and Lucky Charms. In return, Hailey brought some gold coins to spread St. Patrick’s Day cheer. Hailey shared, “I definitely get more attention from my red hair because everyone wished me a happy St. Patrick’s Day. It is one of my favorite holidays, and it is like a second birthday to me!” It sounds like Hailey is one lucky Royal!
If you have ever seen girls wearing shirts with someone’s face on it on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s probably part of Senior Maddie Nero’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Each year, her friends show off their shirts featuring the proud redhead on St. Patrick’s Day. Maddie’s dad also shares her love for the holiday because they listen to Irish bands and eat good food.
With her own traditions and memories, English Teacher Ms. Williams’s favorite holiday has always been St. Patrick’s Day. From cooking corned beef, dancing the Irish Jig and celebrating with family and friends to being abroad in Ireland, sitting next to Conor McGregor and attending Notre Dame, Ms. Williams cherishes each tradition that her Irish Catholic family holds. To give us deeper insight into her family gatherings, Ms. Williams explained, “Growing up, I can remember my parents hosting a big party for family, friends and neighbors and cooking corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and Irish Soda Bread for at least 50 people.” Wow! It seems like celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the Williamses is no joke!
On the other hand, Maggie Burke ’29 likes to keep things simple. She likes to wear green each year and has noticed the increase in attention on St. Patrick’s Day because of her red hair: “For example, a few of my friends ask me to be their leprechaun, and some of my friends posted me on their Instagram stories.” Maggie loves the lucky leprechaun jokes. Her sister, Molly Burke ’27, also goes along with the jokes, having fun with her friends about all the shamrock shenanigans. The red hair also runs in the family, and Molly shares that she has gotten more attention on this special day in March.
Whether you reached the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or not, you’ve at least reached the joke at the end of this article:
How do you know if a leprechaun likes your joke?
If he’s Dublin over with laughter.
All jokes aside, hopefully, you have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick, pray for us!
